RICHLAND TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – Penguins’ employees teamed up with Richland Township volunteers today to lay the flooring on a new dek hockey rink in Richland Community Park.

Ricky Laperriere of Mylec Incorporated has supervised construction of three rinks in the area. He says Pittsburgh is leading the way.

“Other NHL teams across the country are going to start modeling after this program,” he added. “It’s a really great thing for the youth of this country.”

Watch A Time Lapse Video Of Part Of The Construction:

Construction is backed by Highmark and the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation.

“The plan is, over all we’re going to build 12 of these,” says Dave Soltesz, the foundation president. “There are three other locations this year. After this, there’s Oakmont. Right after that there’s Brookline, and then there’s one in Wilkinsburg.”

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma lends a hand, while admitting he didn’t know what dek hockey was till he came to Pittsburgh.

“They didn’t have it in Michigan, where I grew up,” he recalls. “We played street hockey. We dragged the nets out in the street, the parking lots, the driveway, but never had facilities like this.”

assistant coach Tony Granato and CEO David Morehouse were also on hand for the construction.

With enough volunteers, laying the mat takes only five hours, start to finish.